National Pest Plant Accord

The National Pest Plant Accord (NPPA) helps government and plant producers to prevent the spread of highly damaging pest plants (weeds) in New Zealand. Learn more about the NPPA, how species are added or removed from the NPPA list and what this means for you.

Overview

The NPPA is designed to prevent the sale, distribution and propagation of a set list of pest plants (the Accord list) within New Zealand. If allowed to spread further, these pest plants could seriously damage the New Zealand economy and environment.

The NPPA is a cooperative agreement between:

MPI

New Zealand Plant Producers Incorporated (NZPPI)

unitary and regional councils

Department of Conservation.

All plants on the Accord list are unwanted organisms under the Biosecurity Act 1993. This means they cannot be distributed or sold in New Zealand. Note, the NPPA is used alongside other pest management strategies.

MPI maintains a consultative list – a group of key stakeholders and parties interested in the NPPA or the Accord list. We update these people when the Accord list changes and send out consultation material. Anyone interested in the NPPA and the Accord list can sign up.

The decision process

Once MPI have enough proposals to justify a review – or if a proposal needs immediate action – the NPPA Technical Advisory Group (TAG) carries out a risk assessment and completes the TAG Decision Tree process. The TAG then makes a recommendation to the NPPA Steering Group to work out whether or not the species should be included on the Accord List. They also work out how a ban would impact New Zealand industry.

The steering group makes the final decision on changing the Accord list, delaying a decision if they need more information.

Any pest plant that's not currently on the Accord list will be taken to the Chief Technical Officer, who will make a decision on whether or not it should be designated an unwanted organism under the Biosecurity Act 1993 – and therefore added to the Accord list.

Identifying and collecting plant samples

In some cases, regional councils or local authorities will need to identify a plant to work out whether or not it's a plant on the Accord list. Then, they'll log a sample of the plant for reference.

Only authorised individuals are able to identify plants and collect samples – they have to work for or be contracted to a regional council. Financial arrangements for identification remain the responsibility of the organisation to which the Authorised Person belongs.

Try to collect different features of the plant. Stems, leaves, roots, bark and spines are all useful. We also require notes on where you found it, grid references if available, the name of the collector and the date. You may also want to send us your own comments – the size and shape of a plant, the colour at the time of collection and the fragrance (if any).

When sending these specimens, take care to prevent damage and deterioration. To keep specimens intact, try to send them by air. It's also important you label specimens clearly.